Airplane



S ept g, 19:55. v 1,553,207

' s. TRUSCOTT- AIRPLANE Filed ma a, 1 19 s sheets-sheet 1 Sept 8, 1925.

' S. TRUSCOTT AIRPLANE Filed May 8, 1919 3 Shuts-Sheet 2 inventor" Jim? frusco tb Sept, 8, 1925. 1,553,207

$. TRUSCOTT AIRPLANE Filed May a, 1919 s. Shams-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 8, 1 925.

, "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

suns muscor'r, or BIRMINGHAM, OHIO.

AIRPLANE.

Application filed m a,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that IQSTARR Tnusoo'r'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Birmingham, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented new and use the wings or planes of airplanes, is to secure transverse ribs to longitudinal spars, .of which there are usually two, and to stretch fabric or other pliant-material across'the upperand lower edges of the ribs, whereby the pressure and strains imposed against the fabric is transmitted to the ribs and thence to the longitudinal spars. This results in an uneven distribution of the stresses and strains,-and a plane or wing of such construction has its maximum strength transversely thereofbetween its forward and rear edges thereof, instead of longitudinally in vwhich direction the frames extend, because the longitudinal spars or members must take up all of the strains imposedon the ribs from" the fabric. Consequently, the spars must be of great strength to resist the strains and pressure'resulting from the air pressure, and the bars are therefore the vital members of the framework of the planes or wings. I

The object of the present invention isto improve the wing or plane construction, by utilizinga stiff or rigid shell or skin, such as ply wood, sheet metal, or the like, instead of the usual pliant fabric, in order that the shell will provide a large factor of strength in itself, as compared with the shell of'a steel ship, with longitudinal ribs or members within the shell to take up the strains therefrom direct, said ribs or members being of light construction and distributed in acornparatively large number transversely of the wing or planebetween its front and rear edges, as contradistinguished from the use ofthe spars now employed. The present construction also includes transverse braces at longitudinally spaced points in order to reinforce and stiffen the wing or plane trans- 1919. Serial No. 295,740.

versely, said braces intersecting the longitudinal ribs to make theframework or skeletonstructure more rigid, but the strains and stresses are taken up b the shell and longitudinal ribs direct. y thus providing a number of longitudinal ribs therein, the wing or'plane will have maximum strength in a longitudinal direction as required, and

the construction will take up the pressure.

and strains uniformly throughout without the excessive stressesand strains existing at certain points ,as in the ordinary'construction; ,With the present arrangement, the

stiff or rigid shell with a relatively large wing or plane is of substantially uniform strength throughout its area, so as to avoid or reduce to a minimum the tendency for the wing or plane to buckle or break, and at the same time, obtaining the results without v materially sacrificing the lightness in weight of the construction. a

A further object is to'provide a novel aswmblage of the shell, longitudinal ribsand transverse braces in order that portions of both the ribs and braces can be continuous across the points of intersection, and to provide other features of strength.

Another object is to provide struts for the planes .or Wings embodying some of the features thereof, viz., a stiff shell with enclosed longitudinal ribs, providing a light rigid construction instead of ring the ordinary solid struts.

, With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is-illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein 1 Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the planes of an airplane, portions of the shell being broken away to' show the skeleton the wing or plane taken on the line 3;3 of

' Figure 1. 7

Figure 4 is a still further enlarged view of a portion of the section shown in Figure 8, to illustrate the details moreclearly.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1 showing the aileron.

Figure 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section 1n detail, similar to Figure 4'.

Figure 7 is a horizontalsection through the intersection of a rib. andbrace.

vFigure 8 is an elevation of oneof the improved struts. a

Figure 9 is a cross section taken on the line 9-9, of F igure8.

Figure 10 is a similar cross section showing a modified form of strut.

Figures 11 and 12 are sections corresponding with the section shown in Figure 4, and showing modifications.

The present improvements can be used in planes or wings of'various forms and Figures 1 and 2 illustrate one half of the spread or length'of the biplane construction, in Whichthe wings t are detachably connected tothe central sections 2. 1 have the ailerons 3 as usual. Referring in detail to one wing or plane section 1, the same comprises a shell or skin 4 composed of ply wood, sheet metal, or other stiff or rigid material, and is of the usual form, as seen in Figure 3, being hollow and having suitably curved upper and lower surfaces. By using the stiff or rigid sheets of wood, metal or other suitable material, the shellor skin of the plane will constitute' one of the main-factors of strength instead of the skin being" pliant as usual and requiring stretching and treatment to withstand the wind-pressure, but not providinglany' appreciable strength or rigidity as in the present construction.

\Vithin the shell or skin is a skeleton framework to reenforce and cooperate with the shell to stiffen and strengthen it with as light a construction as practical. This' frame work or reenforcingskeleton is composed primarily of longitudinal ribs arranged at intervals between the front and rear edges of the plane. Said ribs are light;

in construction and they are relatively close together, as'seen in Figure 3, whereby the frame Work is distributed throughout the area ofthe plane to uniformly take up the pressure and strains. The frame work shown in Figu. es 3 to 7, inclusive, is shown as constructed of wood, in which event the longitudinal ribs embody longitudinal cleats or stri s 5 at the upper and lower edges thereo extending continuously from one end of the Wing or'pla-ne to the other, and cemented or otherwise secured to'the upper and lower sheets of the shell. Each rib also includes a series of vertical longitudinal webs 6 of ply Wood, or the like. having their upper and lower edges seated and secured within groovesin the cleat 5, thus provid- ,Th e wings strengthening or bracing strips 8 can be ccmented or otherwlse secured to the webs 6 .to increase the strength thereof.

The skeleton frame of the winger plane also includes, at suitably spaced longitudinal points thereof, transverse braces, corresponding to the ordinary ribs but they can be fewer in number, owing to the stiffness of the shell 4 and the provision of the relatively large number of longitudinal ribs which take up the strains. These braces are used to brace the ribs and shell transversely the required amount, especially where the struts are attached to thewings. Each of the transverse braces includes a-"vertical web 10 of ply wood, or the like, extending continuousl from one edgeof the shell to the other, a though it may be stated at this 'point, that some of the braces need not extend completely across the plane or wing when it is only required to brace a portion of'the wing, such as the rear edge portion, when shorter braces can be used. The brace also has upperand lower cleats or strips 9 similar to the cleats 5 and grooved to engage the upper and lower edges of the webv 10. The ribs and braces intersect, as seen in Figure 7,- it beingv noted that the longitudinal cleats 5 are continuous, while the webs 10 of the braces are continuous from end to end of the braces, and the webs 6 of the ribs are discontinuous or divided, with their ends terminating adjacent to the webs 10. The cleats 9 of the braces are also discontinuous or divided'so that their ends terminate adjacent to thecleats 5. In this with notches 11 for the. passage of the cleats 5, so that said,clea ts can pass across the edges of the webs 10. The webs 10 can be provided with openings 12 for lightening the weight thereof, and the ends of the webs 6 of the ribs are seated and secured within the grooves of vertical cleats or strips-13 secured to the opposite side of the webs 10. as seen in Figure 7 The ribs and braces in thus intersecting one anotherand being secured together, will provide a thoroughly.

rigid frame Work or skeleton, and in connec tion with the stiff shell or skinsecured to the upper and lower edges of the'lon-gitudinal ribs and transverse braces, the wing or plane will have the strength required, being of lattice work. The webs 10 will maintain .the shell 19, and webs 21 having their edges the shape of the wing or plane transversely thereof, while the longitudinal ribs in combination with the inherent rigidity of the shell, will render the wing or plane of great strength longitudinally, both for compresner. Thus, referring to Figure 7 the numeral 10 can represent a continuous longitudinal web, and the numeral 6 a broken and divided web of a brace with the cleats constructed accordingly.

The aileron 3 can also be constructed in accordance .with the wings being provided with a stiff shell and a suitable reenforcing skeleton therein. 7

When the'wings are detachable, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, the adjacent endsof the ribs of the wing 1 and central section 2 of the plane canbe detachably connected, by

suitable joints 15, thus providing connections between. each rib of the wing andthe corresponding rib of the section 2 which is of similar construction. This feature, however, the same as other details are arbitrary and can be changed to suitconditions.

With the present construction of the wings or planes, it is desirable to use a similar construction of the struts 16, instead of using the solid struts as now employed. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the strut 16 is composed of one part of relatively great width, instead of using individualv front and rear struts, and the strut 15 has the forward and rear portions17 merging at their upper and lower ends into the yokes 18 and are suitably secured to the planes. The strut 16 thus has a central opening, and it is composed of a shell or skin 19 of material similar to thatused for the shells 4: of the'planes,

with vertical or longitudinal ribs and trans-v Verse webs 22 secured within the shell to. reenforce thesame. These ribs embody the cleats 20 secured: tothe sheets, or sides of secured to the cleats 20, similar to the constructions of the ribs and braces above described. The strut 16 is'therefore composed of a hollow rigids'hell with interior stiffen-' ing ribs, thus providing. a strong light construction. The webs stiffen the struts against side-wise strains, and the strut being relatively wide will have considerable strength transversely of the planes, as will be apparent. The portions 17 .of the strut can be of a cross section similar to' that used in the ordinary struts, as seen in F igure9. Instead ofhaving the struts composed of the front and rear portions 1'7, it can be solid from edgeto edge as illustrated by the 'modified form of strut 16' shown in Figure 10. This eliminates the hole or opening in the strut and makes the sides thereofcontinuous from the forward to the rear edge.

Figures 11 and 12 illustrate details that can be used when sheet metal is employed for the plane or wing construction. -Thus,-

longitudinal angle members 5 can be used to secure the edges ofithe webs 6 to the shell '4, and angle members 9' used between the webs 10 and shell instead of using the cleats as described above. -'Figure 12 shows chan- -nel members 5" secured to the upper and lower sheets of the shell for the connections of the webs 6" of the ribs, and the braces also embody members 9 of channel or other suitable cross section. Instead of using sheet for the webs of the ribsand braces, lattice construction can be used, as shown by the oblique crossing brace members 10". This lattice construction of the webs is especially useful in larger planes wherein the upper and lower sheets of the shell are spaced apart a considerable distance tore! der the use of lattice workpractical.

is claimed as new is 1. An airplane wing comprising a shell of wood, metal or similar stiff material constituting a main factor of strength of the wing, and longitudinal stiffening ribs within said shell at close intervals between its edges Having thus described the invention,what

intervals between the longitudinal edgesof the shell and embodying strips secured to said sheets and web portionssecured to said strips.

3. An airplane wing Icomprisinga shell having upper and lower sheets of -:wood-,

metal or similar stifi material constituting a main factor of strength of the wing, longitudinal stiffening ribs within the shell and arranged at close intervals between the iongitudinal edges, thereof, and transverse braces intersecting said ribs at longitudinally spaced points -of the wing, said ribsand braces having vertical webs secured to said upper andlower sheets.

4. An airplane wing comprising a shell having upper and lower sheets of wood,

metalor similar stifi' material constituting a main factor of strength of the wing, longitudinal 'stifiening ribs within the shell and arranged at close intervals between the longitudinal edges thereof, and transverse braces intersecting said ribs at longitudinally spaced points of the wing, said ribs and braces having vertical webs, and strips sef of the webs which they..intersect and the other strips being discontinuous and some of the webs being continuous past the lntersections and the others be ng discontinuous.

6. An airplane wing comprising a shell of stiff material, and a skeleton frame therein embodying intersecting members having vertical webs and strips secured to the shell and i the edges of said webs, the strips of the members which extend in one direction being continuous and the webs thereof divided, and the strips of the other members being divided and the webs thereof continuous to pass between the sections of the webs of the aforesaid members.

7. An airplane wing comprising, a stiff shell, and a skeleton frame therein embodying intersecting members having webs and strips'securing the edges of said webs to the shell, thestrips which extend in one direction being continuous and the others diing intersecting members having webs and strips securingthe edges ofthe webs to the shell, some ofthe strips-bein and the othrsdivided at the lntersections, the webs of the divided strips being continuous and the others divided,- and strips securing the ends ofthe'divided webs to the continuous webs.

9. An airplane wing comprising a rigid shell and a skeleton frame'therein embodying intersecting members secured to the shell, each of said members constituting a plurality of parts, said meiribersextending in different directions andparts of the members which extend in each direction .being continuous and the other parts divided at the intersections with the continuous parts.

10. An airplane wing comprising a shell composed 9f upper and lower sheets of wood, metal or similar stiff material constituting a main factor of strength of-the wing, longi- 'tudinal stiffening "ribs within the shell, and

transverse braces intersectingsaid ribs, said ribs and braces being secured to said upper and lower sheets and all-of them havingconcontinuous tinuous portions'from end to end and other portions divided at the intersections.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand. v

sraan TRUSGQTT. 

